# minmo

`minmo` is a (min)imal (mo)de-line with aggressive caching and tight semantics.

This package exists because I wasn't satisfied either with emacs defaults nor any of the more elaborate alternatives.

Unfortunately the builtin `vc` package tries much too hard to be compatible with obsolete version control systems no one uses, and as a result has poor performance and more limited functionality than if it consolidated on git. `minmo` addresses these problems:

1. `auto-revert-check-vc-info` calls `git status` on *all open vc-enabled buffers*, regardless of their display status. Even on modern hardware, there's a noticeable lag above about 100 open files. `minmo` uses various hooks and the `minmo-git-cache-timer-interval` to update git status only for *visible* buffers, e.g. when calling `switch-to-buffer` or `find-file`.

2. The `vc-mode` string reports a generic status designed before the existence of git: namely it doesn't report staged status. Moreover the status strings are clunky and difficult to change.

3. There's no native mechanics for detecting orphaned files - a file-visiting buffer without a corresponding file in the filesystem. `minmo` does this with another cache and timer interval, `minmo-disk-cache-timer-interval`.

Both timers can be disabled by setting those intervals to nil, if you want even better performance: I do this my 14 year-old laptop for battery life. Even without the timers disabled, the minmo `mode-line-format` only evaluates cached variables: there's no hidden filesystem reads. All I/O happens via hooks and timers.

## install

```
(use-package minmo
  :vc (:url "https://git.bth.moi/bth/minmo" :rev :newest))
```

## symbol semantics

`minmo` uses a unified symbol set for git and disk status on tty and pts:

```
status             u : a : git     : disk
--------------------------------------------
unmodified       : ◻ : . : nil     : nil
modified         : ◱ : * : warning : error
ignored/readonly : ◳ : _ : success : success
staged/orphan    : ◰ : + : link    : warning
untracked/buffer : ◲ : ! : error   : link

quadrant semantics:

left              ◱◰ : modified/staged    : indexed
right             ◳◲ : ignored/untracked  : unindexed
top               ◰◳ : staged/ignored     : ready
bottom            ◱◲ : modified/untracked : unready
```

After a while, you may find them intuitive. But all of this can be changed easily by redefining `minmo-status-alist`. Just copy the default and change strings and faces as you like.

## mode-line-format

`minmo` sets `mode-line-format` to provide:

* buffer-name
* git and disk status
* project-name
* git branch
* major-mode
* minor-mode selectively
* narrow indicator
* line:col
* total lines

But `mode-line-format` can easily be set as you wish, using the default as a starting point. The primary value here are the caching routines for getting git and disk status with good performance.

If you wanted an even more minimal mode-line, eval something like this:

```
(setq-default
 mode-line-format
 (list
  '(:eval (minmo-buffer-name))
  '(:eval (minmo-git-status))
  '(:eval (minmo-disk-status))
  ))
```